Nokia, AT&T offer $299 Booklet 3G

As expected, Nokia has worked out an arrangement with AT&T to sell its Booklet 3G for $300 when customers sign up for a two-year contract. The subsidy effectively brings the netbook's price down from $600 on the carrier-free option, but ties users to a data plan that costs about $60 a month.

It remains to be seen how strong consumer demand will be at that price point -- many of these devices can be purchased outright for less than $400 and connect to the web using Wi-Fi. In all fairness, though, Nokia's Booklet 3G does stand out from the crowd with its fanless, lightweight design made from a single piece of machined aluminum and its alleged 12 hours of battery life.

The device has a 10-inch screen with a 1280x720 pixel resolution and can connect to bigger displays using an HDMI port. Under the hood there is an Intel Atom Z530 running at 1.6 GHz, as well as 1GB of memory, a 120GB hard drive and Windows 7. Other noteworthy specs include a 1.3-megapixel webcam with integrated microphone, Bluetooth, assisted GPS, and even an accelerometer.

The Booklet 3G will be available exclusively in Best Buy stores by mid-November, with pre-orders starting on October 22. AT&T said the mini-laptop would also be offered with other rate plans at still to be announced prices.